Shadow Weaver: Sole Heir Of The Night-Chapter 171: Untitled

Soon the cave itself seemed to warp. Shadows stretched and folded as a myriad of figures bloomed across every corner, clinging to the walls and ceiling like living afterimages.

The moon bear’s illusions were not meant to strike him directly. They pressed, crowded, and suffocated the senses, bending distance and direction until instinct began to rot.

Enzo steadied his breathing. His gaze snapped forward, locking onto the real body beneath the chaos, and he moved. A small dark dagger slid silently into his palm as if it had always been there.

"Roar!!"

The beast roared first, its massive frame tensing as though it felt the blade before it arrived. Muscles tightened, fur bristled, bones grinding beneath sheer force.

Its build was far too large to dodge cleanly. At the final moment, the tyrant chose violence over evasion and met the assault head on.

"Booom!!"

The cave detonated with sound. Stone cracked, shadows shattered, and before thought could catch up, several exchanges had already torn through the darkness as both figures drove themselves deeper into the cavern’s black throat.

Steel screamed. Flesh split. Power collided again and again until the ground was slick with blood and the air tasted like iron.

They separated at last, both ruined. Enzo worse than most. His arms hung wrong, one dislodged and barely responding, his body trembling under accumulated damage.

"Pay attention."

Enzo slapped his cheek with his left hand, the sharp sound grounding him. His eyes stayed locked on the beast in front of him, unblinking, defiant.

He had endured the illusions clawing at his mind. He had stood against the irresistible pressure of a tyrant’s body and will. He had continued when every signal screamed retreat.

But Enzo was still human. And the difference was vast.

Then the pressure shifted.

From the edge of the cave, a fully clad feminine figure stepped forward. Sword in one hand. Shield in the other. Her presence alone crushed the illusions like mist beneath sunlight.

Guardian of the Void.

One of Enzo’s most treasured powers drawn from the Void Coffin. It was not balance or fairness. It was bringing a siege engine into a knife fight.

As Enzo entered the exalted stage, Victoria’s clone rose to the peak of the sanctified. For a brief, precious window, she could withstand the full might of a tyrant.

That was all Enzo needed.

Time.

Picking up his crossbow, Enzo lifted it with shaking fingers and signaled to Victoria. His eyes never left her as she threw herself at the beast with a brutality that bordered on madness.

One.

Her shield slammed into the moon bear’s jaw with crushing force, snapping its head sideways and driving its massive body into the ground. The impact cracked the earth beneath it. Before it could recover, her blade flashed, hacking again and again at its neck, sparks and blood spraying as steel met bone.

From behind, Enzo fired without pause. Bolts punched into flesh, burying deep, each strike stealing momentum, each reload done on instinct alone. He moved with her rhythm, timing his shots between her swings, forcing the tyrant to split its focus.

The cave erupted around them.

They twisted, crashed, and tore through the darkness, shockwaves rippling outward with every collision. Stone walls buckled. Loose rock rained down. The vibrations spread far beyond the cave, sending beasts and creatures from the surrounding territory scattering in terror.

The space could not contain them for long.

With a thunderous crash, the fight spilled into the open. They burst into a forest of towering trees, trunks as wide as houses snapping like twigs under the tyrant’s charge. Branches exploded overhead. Leaves and bark filled the air as the ground churned into ruin.

’I still can’t kill it even after all this? What’s going on?’

Enzo’s thoughts screamed as he fired again, lungs burning, arms trembling from recoil and strain. Blood soaked his clothes, his vision blurred at the edges, yet the beast still stood.

It made no sense.

Over the past months, he had grown frighteningly strong. A great terror would have fallen quickly before him, torn apart without resistance. That rank was below tyrant, yet now, even after climbing an entire stage higher, he was still being forced into desperation.

The gap felt wrong. Unnatural.

’Do I have to rely on the poison medallion again?’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The thought weighed heavy as another bolt flew, sharp with frustration and dread. That power came with a price, one he hated paying.

But this was not about pride.

It was not about proving anything to anyone.

Enzo clenched his jaw, eyes hardening as he reloaded.

He would end the beast first, before looking for the reason it was abnormal

Soon the cave itself seemed to warp. Shadows stretched and folded as a myriad of figures bloomed across every corner, clinging to the walls and ceiling like living afterimages.

The moon bear’s illusions were not meant to strike him directly. They pressed, crowded, and suffocated the senses, bending distance and direction until instinct began to rot.

Enzo steadied his breathing. His gaze snapped forward, locking onto the real body beneath the chaos, and he moved. A small dark dagger slid silently into his palm as if it had always been there.

"Roar!!"

The beast roared first, its massive frame tensing as though it felt the blade before it arrived. Muscles tightened, fur bristled, bones grinding beneath sheer force.

Its build was far too large to dodge cleanly. At the final moment, the tyrant chose violence over evasion and met the assault head on.

"Booom!!"

The cave detonated with sound. Stone cracked, shadows shattered, and before thought could catch up, several exchanges had already torn through the darkness as both figures drove themselves deeper into the cavern’s black throat.

Steel screamed. Flesh split. Power collided again and again until the ground was slick with blood and the air tasted like iron.

They separated at last, both ruined. Enzo worse than most. His arms hung wrong, one dislodged and barely responding, his body trembling under accumulated damage.

"Pay attention."

Enzo slapped his cheek with his left hand, the sharp sound grounding him. His eyes stayed locked on the beast in front of him, unblinking, defiant.

He had endured the illusions clawing at his mind. He had stood against the irresistible pressure of a tyrant’s body and will. He had continued when every signal screamed retreat.

But Enzo was still human. And the difference was vast.

Then the pressure shifted.

From the edge of the cave, a fully clad feminine figure stepped forward. Sword in one hand. Shield in the other. Her presence alone crushed the illusions like mist beneath sunlight.

Guardian of the Void.

One of Enzo’s most treasured powers drawn from the Void Coffin. It was not balance or fairness. It was bringing a siege engine into a knife fight.

As Enzo entered the exalted stage, Victoria’s clone rose to the peak of the sanctified. For a brief, precious window, she could withstand the full might of a tyrant.

That was all Enzo needed.

Time.

Picking up his crossbow, Enzo lifted it with shaking fingers and signaled to Victoria. His eyes never left her as she threw herself at the beast with a brutality that bordered on madness.

One.

Her shield slammed into the moon bear’s jaw with crushing force, snapping its head sideways and driving its massive body into the ground. The impact cracked the earth beneath it. Before it could recover, her blade flashed, hacking again and again at its neck, sparks and blood spraying as steel met bone.

From behind, Enzo fired without pause. Bolts punched into flesh, burying deep, each strike stealing momentum, each reload done on instinct alone. He moved with her rhythm, timing his shots between her swings, forcing the tyrant to split its focus.

The cave erupted around them.

They twisted, crashed, and tore through the darkness, shockwaves rippling outward with every collision. Stone walls buckled. Loose rock rained down. The vibrations spread far beyond the cave, sending beasts and creatures from the surrounding territory scattering in terror.

The space could not contain them for long.

With a thunderous crash, the fight spilled into the open. They burst into a forest of towering trees, trunks as wide as houses snapping like twigs under the tyrant’s charge. Branches exploded overhead. Leaves and bark filled the air as the ground churned into ruin.

’I still can’t kill it even after all this? What’s going on?’

Enzo’s thoughts screamed as he fired again, lungs burning, arms trembling from recoil and strain. Blood soaked his clothes, his vision blurred at the edges, yet the beast still stood.

It made no sense.

Over the past months, he had grown frighteningly strong. A great terror would have fallen quickly before him, torn apart without resistance. That rank was below tyrant, yet now, even after climbing an entire stage higher, he was still being forced into desperation.

The gap felt wrong. Unnatural.

’Do I have to rely on the poison medallion again?’

The thought weighed heavy as another bolt flew, sharp with frustration and dread. That power came with a price, one he hated paying.

But this was not about pride.

It was not about proving anything to anyone.

Enzo clenched his jaw, eyes hardening as he reloaded.

He would end the beast first, before looking for the reason it was abnormal